Smitten Ice Cream: Made-to-Order by "Kelvin" in Hayes Valley's Proxy Project

Smitten Ice Cream: Made-to-Order by "Kelvin" in Hayes Valley's Proxy Project

By

Back in 2005, Robyn Sue Goldman had an idea, but she wasn’t quite sure how to execute it. “I wanted to re-invent old-fashioned ice cream without all the preservatives and stabilizers you get in regular ice cream,” Goldman thought.


She then teamed up with some engineers to develop a method for just that —the churned-out-back taste and texture of just-made ice cream using only the freshest ingredients. Three years later, Smitten Ice Cream and the invention that enabled it was born. The machine, affectionately named “Kelvin,” is a triple-patented liquid nitrogen-freezing magician that turns a milk-cream-flavor mixture from liquid to ice cream in one minute. Seriously. Check out Kelvin in action in this video from NBC's The Feast.

Goldman began her ice cream career in a food cart back in 2008. “I put Kelvin on the back of a Radio Flyer wagon and a battery pack I made that would last three hours,” said Goldman.

After a few years of carting around Kelvin, Goldman opened her first store last month in Hayes Valley. Housed in a recycled shipping container, the store is the first installation of the temporary foodie compound The Proxy Project, which is slated to include a Ritual Coffee and a biergarten from Suppenkuche. The Smitten shop is packed with four Kelvins, and all the ingredients are made in-house (or, in-shipping container).

When the liquid nitrogen freezes the cream mixture, it creates smaller ice crystals than what is in a typical, store-bought ice cream, which in turn creates an extremely light yet creamy texture. With flavors ranging from salted-caramel to rhubarb crisp (with a rosemary streusel), a heaping scoop of this fluffy, made-to-order goodness sits atop one of Smitten’s hand-rolled pizelle cones. It's the perfect treat to have while you sit in the park or walk around Hayes Valley during a sunny afternoon.

 

Related Articles
Now Playing at SF Symphony
View this profile on Instagram

7x7 (@7x7bayarea) • Instagram photos and videos

Neighborhoods
From Our Partners